My puppy is on the thinner/smaller side...

Question
I have a 13 mo/old male German Shepherd, and compared to his parents, he is rather on the small side, he only weighs about 82 lbs, but is about 26 1/2 -27 inches tall at the shoulder, both of his parents are over 100 lbs, and I feed him roughly 6 1/2 cups of food a day, is he underweight or still growing? This is the first purebred Shepherd I've had and don't know what's normal or average for him, also he has a rash on his belly that I originally thought was caused by worms, but he got those treated and the rash went away but now it's back I don't know if its from worms or something else? I know this is long, but I have yet another issue with him, he cannot be separated from me, he follows me everywhere, but doesn't listen to me, and he howls and shrieks anytime I'm out of his site, like if I put him the his kennel to go to class (I'm a college student) or my b/f and I took him in the car to go grocery shopping and I had to stay in the car because he was freaking out so badly at the though of me leaving him, what can I do about all these dilemmas? This is the last question I swear, but does anyone happen to know of a good obedience class/school/trainer around Bowling Green Ohio? Thank you!

Answer
If you offer him more food, will he eat it?  Some dogs are just less efficient or a certain chow may not work right for a certain dog.  A few years ago I had a small Lab, and I had to feed him 6 cups of the same Pro Plan that 3-4 was enough for similar Labs. Unlike Labs, Shepherds tend to run lean.  The dog guide school provides us with a very fine guide to caring for their puppies.  The only place in the whole thing where it even mentions the breed is where it assures us it is OK for the Shepherds to be lean.  When you show up for a training session, you will be told to correct it if your Lab or Golden is over weight.  Nothing is said if your Shepherd's ribs show a little.

You could try a different chow, but it may be better to leave well enough alone.

The separation issue may improve with a good obedience course.  The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class.  A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands a treat.  See http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  I can't help with finding a good one other than saying what I did on recognizing one.  Many local kennel clubs have a good program. I always push 4-H for kids.